“I Said, ‘You are gods’” Salvation as Deification and the Early Patristic use of Psalm 82

‘Made Without Hands’: An Important Theme In Early Christian Soteriology and Ecclesiology

A recent essay added to my Biblia et Patristica page. From the intro:

In this paper I will identify several monotheistic and monergistic verbal expressions from the Hebrew Old Testament. I will then demonstrate that these ideas and phrases interacted and developed over time via a series of linguistic steps which led ultimately to the creation of a specific Greek word by early Christian communities. This word was used to describe the role of God’s power in several aspects of Christian salvation. Specifically, this article examines the origin and usage of the early Christian word ἀχειροποίητος, ‘made without (human) hands.’